The Menin Gate Memorial | Australian War Memorial The Menin Gate Memorial To Flanders Fields, 1917 , Commemoration , Memorials , Research material Tens of thousands of British and Empire troops remain ‘missing’ in France and Belgium. Some lie in nameless graves while the remains of others have never been found. The Menin Gate at Ypres records the names of 55,000 of the missing in Belgium and a similar number are recorded elsewhere; there are 35,000 names on the Tyne Cot memorial. The names of Australia’s 6,000 missing in Belgium are engraved on the walls of the Menin Gate. Menin Gate at Midnight by Will Longstaff (1927) ART09807 Menin Gate Memorial The Menin Gate was so named because here the road out of Ypres passed through the old wall defences going in the direction of Menin. During the war the two stone lions standing on each side of the Menin Gate were seen by tens of thousands of troops as they went towards the front line. The gate, beyond which these men’s fate lay, became highly symbolic.

Afterwards it was decided that on this site a huge monument, designed by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, would commemorate those of the Empire who were killed in Belgium but have no known grave. The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. Although it bears the names of 55,000 soldiers including 6,000 Australians, so great were the casualties that not all the names of “the missing” are here. Every evening the Last Post is sounded under the memorial’s great arch. Acclaimed British author and poet Rudyard Kipling contributed the following words which were inscribed on both the eastern and western facades of the memorial.

TO THE ARMIES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO STOOD HERE FROM 1914 TO 1918 AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE And above the staircase arches, the following: IN MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT, BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNES OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH - Kipling The Menin Gate - History Learning Site The Menin Gate Citation: C N Trueman "The Menin Gate" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Apr 2015. 16 Aug 2016. The Menin Gate is in Ypres and it is one of the most visited war memorials in Western Europe. In World War One there was no gate like the current memorial at the western end of Ypres. Instead the men who marched to the front to fight in the Battles of Ypres passed through a gap in the town’s old ramparts and crossed a small stretch of water (the Kasteelgracht).

Ironically, the route was considered so vulnerable to shelling, that far more soldiers left for the front line trenches by other routes around the town that were not as dangerous. However, those that did leave where the Menin Gate now is would have had their route flanked by the statues of two lions. Many thousands of men passed over this bridge – many to their deaths – that it was felt appropriate that after the war a splendid monument should be built to commemorate those who died in battle but had no final resting place. Sir Reginald Blomfield designed the Menin Gate and after his design was approved by the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). Work was begun in June 1921 with a grant of £150,000 from the British government. It was finished in July 1927. The land around Ypres is dotted with many cemeteries but these are invariably for those who were killed but were identified and then buried with a headstone named accordingly. These cemeteries also have head stones marked “Known unto God” or “A Soldier of the Great War” for soldiers whose bodies were found and could be buried but whose name could not be found.

There are about 40,000 of these unnamed headstones around the area that constituted the Ypres Salient. The Menin Gate is for those men whose bodies were never found. Lieutenant Alex Helmer is one of the names on the Menin Gate. He was buried in a rudimentary grave at Essex Farm but the fighting around the area after his death meant that his grave was destroyed and so he has no known resting place. It was Helmer’s death that inspired Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae to write “In Flanders Field”. Helmer’s is one of 54,896 names of men who died between 1914 and August 15th 1917 and who have no known grave. Men killed in the Ypres Salient after this date – and who have no known grave – are commemorated at the Tyne Cot cemetery. Blomfield’s design was such that it included the stone lions by the bridge that the soldiers would have seen as they moved to the front line.

The carved lion on the eastern side of the memorial faces out to the front line, “not fierce or truculent, but patient and enduring, looking outward.” The western end of the Menin Gate looks back towards Ypres centre and on this side is written “To the armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave.” Another plaque reads: “Here are recorded names of officers and men who fell in Ypres Salient but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death”. The poet Siegfried Sassoon wrote about the ‘gate’ that soldiers went through at Ypres in one of his poems: “Who will remember, passing through this gate, The unheroic Dead who fed the guns?” Sassoon referred to the Menin Gate as “a sepulchre of crime”. At the inauguration ceremony on July 24th 1927, the buglers of the Somerset Light Infantry sounded the ‘Last Post’. Since then the ‘Last Post’ has been played each night at 20.00.

This simple ceremony is done by buglers from the Ypres Fire Brigade. The only time this was not done was during the German occupation of Belgium in World War Two. It was restarted the very night that the Germans left Ypres. “One of the most tragic features of the Great War was the number of casualties reported as “missing, believed killed. When peace came, and the last ray of hope had been extinguished, the void seemed deeper and the outlook more forlorn for those who had no grave to visit, no place where they could lay tokens of loving remembrance. And it was resolved that here at Ypres, where so many of the missing are known to have fallen, there should be erected a memorial worthy of them which should give expression to the nation’s gratitude for their sacrifice and their sympathy with those who mourned them. A memorial has been erected which, in its simple grandeur, fulfils this object, and now it can be said of each one in whose honour we are assembled here today: ‘He is not missing; he is here’.” Field Marshal Plumer on the unveiling of the Menin Gate.

The Menin Gate Last Post ceremony - An enduring tradition | WW100 New Zealand The Menin Gate Last Post ceremony - An enduring tradition By: Matthew Tonks - Web Adviser in the WW100 Programme Office 9 July 2015 marks the 30,000th Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate – a ritual which has come to symbolise not only a remembrance of those who died in the Great War, but also the ongoing connection between ­­Belgium and the former Allied nations. Related links Watch a video of the 30,000th Last Post at the Menin Gate Crowds gather for the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ieper. Courtesy of the Last Post Association. At 8 p.m. each night, volunteer firefighters from the small Belgian town of Ieper (better known by its French name Ypres) sound the Last Post at the Menin Gate memorial. The ceremony started in 1928, shortly after the memorial’s construction, as an expression of the town’s gratitude for the sacrifice of Commonwealth soldiers who died in the nearby countryside during the First World War.

It has continued almost uninterrupted on the site each night since; during the German occupation of Belgium in the Second World War, the tradition was continued at Brookwood Cemetery in the United Kingdom. On 9 July 2015, the Last Post was sounded under the Menin Gate for the 30,000th time. To mark this milestone, a special edition of the ceremony took place at the memorial, which the public followed on a large screen in the market square of Ieper. Others around the world watched via live stream. Last Post ceremonies were be held in dozens of other locations simultaneously, including at the New Zealand Memorial to the Missing in Messines, Belgium. This occasion was also a chance to pay respect to the Last Post Association, which organises Ieper's daily act of remembrance, and to the buglers who have performed the ceremony since 1928. In recognition of the Association's role in this significant commemorative tradition, its chairman, Mr Benoit Mottrie, was made an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2015 Queens Birthday Honours List.

The Menin Gate is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission monument, built above the road on which Allied troops marched from Ieper towards the battlefields of the Ypres Salient. On its walls are inscribed the names of over 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Salient during the war but whose bodies were never found or identified. The memorial commemorates casualties from the forces of United Kingdom (who died prior to 16 August 1917), Australia, Canada, India and South Africa. New Zealand soldiers passing the ruins of the Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium. Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association: New Zealand official negatives, World War 1914-1918. Ref: 1/2-013129-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand View of ruins in Ypres, Belgium. Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association: New Zealand official negatives, World War 1914-1918. Ref: 1/2-012950-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand Inside the memorial, the New Zealanders are commemorated with a simple plaque.

After the war, the New Zealand government decided to construct its Memorials to the Missing on sites nearer to where New Zealanders fell in battle. The casualties of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died in the Ypres Salient are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery, near Polygon Wood, the Messines Ridge British Cemetery, and on the walls of the memorial at Tyne Cot, close to where the disastrous attacks on Passchendaele Ridge took place. Along the Western Front in France there are a further four memorials to New Zealand’s missing war dead. Although the vast majority of New Zealand names are not included on the Menin Gate – you will find approximately 80 names belonging to New Zealanders who served with other forces – the memorial has become a focal point for New Zealand tourists and dignitaries visiting the Western Front. Ieper serves as a base for travellers interested in exploring the former First World War battlefields of Belgium. Many visit the recently refurbished In Flanders Fields Museum, and most will time their trip so they can attend a Last Post ceremony.

Built into the walls of the Belgian town of Ieper (Ypres), the Menin Gate memorial lists the names of over 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the First World War. The town's Cloth Hall, which houses the In Flanders Fields Museum , can be seen through the arches. Image courtesy of the Last Post Association . Members of Ieper's volunteer fire brigade assemble at the Menin Gate to sound the Last Post at the nightly ceremony. Images courtesy of the Last Post Association . From 7 p.m. each night, large crowds start to gather for the ceremonies under the Menin Gate, which are organised by the Last Post Association. The buglers – all of whom are members of the local volunteer fire brigade – arrive shortly before 8 p.m., at which time the Last Post is sounded. This is followed by a minute’s silence before the buglers play the Réveille. During extended ceremonies wreaths are laid, a choir or band might perform and The Ode of Remembrance is read out. New Zealand dignitaries, school groups and sports teams often have the honour of taking part in these official proceedings, even though the memorial does not include the New Zealanders’ names.

For contemporary New Zealanders, the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate continues to resonate. In part, this is because it forms an emotive expression of Belgium’s gratitude for the contribution that New Zealand servicemen and women made to its defence during the First World War. More importantly though, it offers visitors a tangible link to a significant moment in history for both nations. A group from the New Zealand Defence Force taking part in the official proceedings at the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony. On the wall behind them are just some of the 54,000 names commemorated at the memorial. Image courtesy of the Last Post Association . Date added: 06 July 2015 | Last updated: 10 July 2015 Leave a comment 18 Menin Gate Memorial Hotels from A$87 | Hotels.com 3 starsGood 3.8 / 5 ( 92 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! 28 people looked at this hotel in the last hour Most recent review "This smallish hotel was easy to find, and very centrally located. The staff were friendly and helpful. The room was large, as was the bathroom.

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The hotel is in the town centre so all the main sites are within walking distance." A Traveller, Nov 2016, GB Hotel Ambrosia 2 starsExcellent 4.4 / 5 ( 9 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! 5 people looked at this hotel in the last hour Most recent review "Stayed at hotel for one night whilst visiting Ypres and Menin Gate. Hotel was small , friendly and very clean and within one minutes walk of the main square. Breakfast was excellent with a range of continental and cooked food. Staff member Pebbles was an exceptional asset to the hotel with a v..." A Traveller, Sep 2016, GB Gasthof 't Zweerd 2 starsGood 3.8 / 5 ( 21 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! 4 people looked at this hotel in the last hour Most recent review "Beautiful view from twin room, view of a wall and metal pipe from family room. Sweet biscuits or chocolates in room with tea/coffee. Shower had weird disco lights when running water.

Beds comfortable, staff very helpful with room change. Did not make use of restaurant on site due to our busy sche..." w, Nov 2016, GB 3.5 starsOutstanding 4.7 / 5 ( 21 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! 4 people looked at this hotel in the last hour Most recent review "Our holiday experience to Ypres was made or the more special with the wonderful apartment we stayed in. Where to start with my review?? We found the apartment easily after a short 5-10 minute walk from the train station. The location was perfect, just off the Market Square and very close to eve..." A Traveller, Oct 2016, AU Menin Gate House 5 starsOutstanding 4.9 / 5 ( 12 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! 3 people looked at this hotel in the last hour Most recent review "Fantastic apartment style accommodation, with great and knowledgable host. Convenient to WW1 sites and right next door to Menin Gate memorial and last post ceremony.

Highly recommend." A Traveller, Sep 2016, AU B&B Demi Lune 3 starsExcellent 4.6 / 5 ( 63 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! Most recent review "The en-suite facilities are actually a section of the room that is partially, but not fully, screened from view." A Traveller, Apr 2016, GB Apartment Froidure 4 starsOutstanding 5.0 / 5 ( 2 genuine reviews ) Hotels.com™ RewardsFor every 10 nights, get 1 free! Most recent review "Great apartment - excellent facilities - great location. These apartments are very central in Ypres. The one we stayed in was in a side street so very quiet at night. Everything you could possibly want in the apartment if by any chance you feel like cooking a big meal which you are away on holida..." A, Dec 2014, GB World War One Battlefields : Flanders: Ypres Photo: "Phot-Express"/Vise Paris Map of Ypres The city of Ypres, at the heart of the Salient, was involved early in the First World War.

The British were associated with Ypres throughout the war, and involved in all four battles which bear the name of the town. During the war, the town was almost constantly under bombardment, and was reduced to ruins. Canadian troops passing the ruins of the Cloth Hall. Image from Library and Archives Canada. After the War there was a proposal to preserve the ruins of the town as a memorial to the British and Empire soldiers who had fought and died in the salient. This was then modified to preservation of just the ruined Cloth Hall and cathedral. However, the town was eventually fully rebuilt, including the Cloth Hall and cathedral and today, standing in the town, you would hardly believe that most buildings are at most 80 or so years old. By the time Sir William Pulteney and Beatrix Brice published a battlefield guide in 1925 they recorded: 'We step from the train to a brightly new and very complete town. We make our way through the streets to the Central Place, and here a square of of hotels, shops, houses stare with strange incongruity to a mutilated thing rising stark and jagged against the sky'. This was the ruins of the Cloth Hall, still not then rebuilt.

The Cloth Hall at night This page covers sites to be seen in Ypres, and a separate page covers the cemeteries that can be found in and around the city. For battlefield touring in the area ,the Holt's Guide to the Ypres Salient is the guidebook I would reccomend to visitors; it contains specific itineraries covering the relevant sites, and I still carry my copy on every visit I make to the battlefields. There is also now a pocket version available. For reviews on these and other guidebooks that may be of use, see the Reviews section. Starting in the centre of Ypres, which is the best base for a visit to the salient, on the wall of the Cloth Hall are two plaques, one commemorating the French soldiers who died in defence of Ypres and the surrounding area (shown below), and the second to Polish soldiers who liberated Ypres in the Second World War.

Memorial plaque to French soldiers on the wall of the Cloth Hall The Cloth Hall also houses the In Flanders Field museum, which is a good place to visit to gain some background on the battles around Ypres, although my own preference is for some of the smaller museums suach as those at Hooge and at Zonnebeke . There is a website for the In Flanders Field museum which gives opening times, prices and other information. The In Flanders Field museum in the centre of Ypres Just around the corner from the Cloth Hall is a Belgian memorial to those who fell in both World Wars. Belgian Memorial in Ypres Church and Cathedral One of the most interesting sites in Ypres is the British church, which has so much to see that I have covered it on a separate dedicated page: St. Georges Memorial Church . The cathedral of St Martin and St. Nicholas was rebuilt after the war, and it is very hard to believe, when looking at this magnificent structure today, that it is only around 80 years old. Cathedral of St. Martin and St.

Nicholas by day and lit up at nighttime A plaque inside commemorates 'One Million Dead' of the British Empire: one of several similar plaques that were placed inside a number of cathredrals in Belgium and France after the War. There is also a plaque in memory of the French soldiers who fought and died. Interior of the cathedral, and plaque commemorating 'One Million dead' Around the side of the cathedral stands a memorial to the Munsters. The memorial is in the form of a Celtic Cross, with the three crowns emblem (which from a distance appears to resemble a smiling face), and the inscription at the base reads 'In memory of those men of Munster who died fighting for freedom. A tribute erected by the people of the Province and Cork its capital city'. An old postcard I have shows the memorial with the cathedral still in ruins behind it; the view today is seen underneath. The Munster Memorial in front of the ruins of the cathedral shortly after the War The Munster Memorial in front of the rebuilt cathedral today The Menin Gate and the Last Post The Menin Gate It is well known that every evening at 8 pm, the Last Post is played at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

The Menin Gate is the site of the memorial to the missing of the Salient, designed by Reginald Blomfield with construction completed in 1927. It lists the names of 54,332 men who fell in the Salient and who have no known grave. Consider this figure for a moment. It is equivalent to the population of a small town, and this is just the men who have no known grave. The names represent the fallen of Britain, Ireland, and what were then the Dominions (apart from New Zealand) up until 16th August 1917. Those with no known grave after that date are recorded at Tyne Cot . The names are inscribed on panels arranged by Regiment, and within that by rank. Last Post at the Menin Gate The Last Post is a moving ceremony held every single night. The traffic through the Gate is halted, and the Last Post is played, a haunting experience in a sombre setting. There are always large crowds to respect the ceremony, and in recent times it has become common for those present to applaud at the end of it.

The three photographs below show the site of the Menin Gate over time: firstly immediately after the War, then in the 1920's before the construction of the Memorial, and lastly the interior of the Gate in the 1930s. The Menin Gate site just after the Great War. Photo from Michelin Guide to Ypres The Menin Gate site in the mid 1920s. Photo: Weeninck & Snel The Menin Gate between the Wars. Photo: NELS One of the many names on the Menin Gate is that of my father's great-uncle: Private William Bertie Goody. His name is on Panel 34. William was a professional soldier; he had originally enlisted in the Worcestershire Regiment in 1901 at the age of 19 and after serving with them for several years had left the ranks in 1913. When war broke out, however, he immediately re-enlisted, and was with the 'Old Contemptibles', the original British Expeditionary Force that went to War in 1914.

The Second Worcesters were involved in one of the most famous early heroic stands against the German Army, at Gheluvelt on October the 31st 1914. However, William Goody was not one of those who fought there; he had been killed ten days earlier near Poelcapelle and was one of many who died in the early days of skirmishes and movement before the trenchlines became permanentand have no known grave. Private William Bertie Goody: one of many names on the Menin Gate A recent memorial located just to the right (as you look out of the town) of the Menin Gate on the ramparts is the memorial to Indian soldiers. The inscription reads "In memory of those from the Indian Army who fought gallantly in Flanders. Ieper 10th November 2002". The Indian Memorial near the Menin Gate Near this is a small brass model of the Menin Gate with information in braille. Model of the Menin Gate It is a pleasant walk along the ramparts south from the Menin Gate.

A short distance past the Indian Memorial on the left is a brick built stand with two poems in Flemish and English; one by Edmund Blunden and one by Herman de Coninck who was not born until the Second World War. Old air shafts, some of brick and some of metal rise up through the ramparts. There is an old brick-built icehouse, where food and medicines used to be stored. They were kept cold by blocks of ice, which were cut from the moat in the winter and covered with soil and tree branches. The ramparts after the War. Photo: NELS There are a number of viewpoints on the ramparts, and also information boards about the history and also the flora and fauna. At the right times of year there are wild flowers; in early spring snowdrops and crocuses are in abundance. Even when it is raining, fishermen sit on the opposite bank with oversized umbrellas. It is just a few minutes walk along the ramparts to the Lille Gate. The Ramparts are pleasant to stroll along in the evening The Lille Gate The Lille Gate leads out of Ypres to the south, and from the top of the Gate you can look towards Messines and the higher ground.

A dangerous crossroads known to the soldiers as Shrapnel Corner was located to the south of here. View south from the ramparts above the Lille Gate Inside the Lille Gate itself signs to several Cemeteries can be seen. These show IWGC, rather than CWGC, and as the name was changed from "Imperial" to "Commonwealth War Graves Commission" in March 1960, the signs must have been at least 45 years old. At some point in about 2005/2006 however, they were removed, and seem now to have been replaced with replicas. The originals were showing their age, whilst the signs that can be seen today are in very much better condition (see photos below). The original IWGC signs in the Lille Gate for various cemeteries (left picture) have now been replaced with modern verisons (right) The Lille Gate itself is an impressive structure, which just about survived the war (see images below), and just beyond the Lille Gate is Ramparts Cemetery. Lille Gate during or just after the War. Photo Realistic Travels The Lille Gate today.

On the ring-road just east of the city is a bunker at the side of the road. This is just a little south of the Hellfire Corner roundabout on the road leading to the roundabaout by the Lille Gate. Parking near to it is not easy, but it is possible to look inside the interior and see how cramped the conditions must have been in there. Bunker on the Ypres ring-road: exterior and interior Because of the flat landscape, the town can be seen from several miles away in most directions. The view below shows Ypres from a distance - a location near Frezenburg and on the approximate position of the front lines in June 1917. The spires of Ypres viewed from near Frezneburg, a little beyond the front line of 6th of June 1917 The Menin Gate (Porte de Menin - Menenpoort), Ypres (Ieper), Belgium AND TO THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE Western Entrance to the Memorial The western entrance of the Menin Gate Memorial on the Meensestraat.

Above the panel with the dedicatory inscription on the western entrance, facing the town, there is a sculpted sarcophagus with a flag and a wreath. For four years, between October 1914 and September 1918 thousands of British troops marched up this street, now called Meensestraat. They passed through this location as the old town gateway on the road to Menin, now the location of the arch of the memorial, and went out into the Ypres Salient battlefields. Eastern Entrance to the Memorial The lion lying on the eastern entrance to the Menin Gate Memorial, looking out across the Ypres Salient. Above the panel on the east side of the memorial there is a sculpture of a lion lying down. He is looking away from the city and facing the Ypres Salient battlefields. The lion feature was included to mark the fact that at the start of the war in 1914 the Menenpoort or the Porte de Menin (the Menin Gate in its Flemish and French names) was guarded by two stone sculptured lions, one on either side of the gateway. For more about the two original lions see our Related Topic below for the History of the Menin Gate.

Figures of small lions also feature sitting on the balustrades of the loggias at the northern and southern sides of the memorial. North and South Staircases View from the steps of the northern stairway looking towards the southern stairway. In the centre of both the north and the south side of the Menin Gate there is a broad staircase leading from the Hall of Memory up to the ramparts and the loggias. The inscription over the entrances to the staircases reads: AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM OF OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL IN YPRES SALIENT BUT TO WHOM THE FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE KNOWN AND HONOURED BURIAL GIVEN TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH Each of the two stairways leads to the right and left and on up to the loggias on the upper outside level of the building. The panels of names continue on each side of the stairways. Loggias on the Ramparts View of the southern staircase to the loggia on the southern side of the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.

A feature of the architecture on this building is that two loggias run along the length of the north and south sides of the memorial on the upper level. A loggia is a gallery or a corridor open to the air on one side and supported by columns. This upper level is situated on the ramparts of the old fortifications dating back to the time when the city was protected by fortified walls and a moat. The inscribed panels of Portland Stone, bearing the names of the missing casualties, continue up the walls of the north and south stairways and then along the walls of the upper level of the memorial. The loggia on the opposite side of the memorial is the same. View from the old ramparts towards the loggia on the north side of the memorial. The panels inscribed with names are on the wall of the gallery behind the columns. In the photograph of the side view of the northern loggia the stone lion can be seen. He lies on the eastern end of the Menin Gate Memorial looking out to the east across the Ypres Salient battlefields, where so many lives were lost. The Inscribed Names The names are inscribed on the memorial in blocks by regiment.

The register of names and the Panel Number where a casualty can be found are located in the brass box just inside the western entrance of the memorial. Registers are arranged alphabetically by name. Registers for all the casualties named on the Menin Gate Memorial are kept in the brass box at the western entrance of the memorial below Panel 2. Odd numbered panels 1-59 are to be found on the north side of the road. All even numbered panels 2-60 will be found on the south side of the road. Each panel on the memorial contains the names of several hundred casualties, arranged in order of seniority of rank and alphabetically by name. Search for Names on the Menin Gate Memorial To search online for the alphabetical list of names recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial you can go to the Menin Gate Memorial page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and then click on the button for See Casualty Records : Website: Cemetery details: Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial “General Officer Commanding Menin Gate” Name of Brigadier General Fitzclarence VC engraved on Panel 3 at the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.

The most senior casualty named on the Menin Gate Memorial is that of Brigadier General Charles Fitzclarence, VC. He was killed whilst commanding the 1st Guards Brigade during the First Battle of Ypres in the autumn of 1914. His date of death was 12th November 1914. Almost exactly fifteen years before he met his death in the Ypres Salient, Charles Fitzclarence was serving as a Captain in the Boer War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for three actions of gallantry in October and December 1899. Brigadier General Fitzclarence played a key role in directing the successful action to recapture the village of Gheluvelt from the German Army with a British counter-attack on 31st October 1914. After his death on 12th November his body was never found. He was aged 49 when he died. A farm in the vicinity of the place where he was killed was named Fitzclarence Farm on British Army trench maps.

Trench Map 28 N.E.3 Edition 7B (with trenches corrected to 24.10.17) showing Fitzclarence Farm to the north east of Inverness Copse. This was the last known location of Brigadier General Fitzclarence. As the most senior officer named on the Menin Gate Memorial, he became known to WW1 Veterans as “GOC (General Officer Commanding) Menin Gate”. His name can be found as the first name at the very top of Panel 3, which is the first panel on the left when entering the memorial from its western end (from the direction of the town and Meensestraat). Location of the Menin Gate Memorial Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing 50.85204856842089 2.891126275062561 The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is located on the east side of the town of Ypres. Access to the Menin Gate Access to the Memorial is easiest on foot. There is parking in nearby streets or in the Grote Markt (market square), which is a few minutes' walk away.

Great care should be taken when crossing the road which runs through the arch of the Memorial. This is a busy main road into the town centre. The road is only closed to traffic during the daily Last Post ceremony at 20.00 hours and on special occasions. Related Topics The Menin Gate Memorial at night. The Menin Gate Before 1914 For information about the Menin Gate before and during the war see our page: Opening Ceremony at the Menin Gate, 1927 For information on the Menin Gate opening ceremony in July 1927 see: Last Post at the Menin Gate Memorial Buglers of the Last Post Association sound Last Post every evening at the Menin Gate Memorial.(2) Every evening at 8 o'clock (20.00 hours) Last Post is played at the Menin Gate Memorial. This was started in 1927 and it has been played almost every night since except for a period in the Second World War when Ypres was occupied by German Forces.

To find out more about the ceremony and to hear a live recording of the Last Post and Réveille played at the Menin Gate go to: Menin Gate Memorial Bronze Replica A bronze scale model of the Memorial is located on the south side of the ramparts. Menin Gate Memorial Bronze Replica Ypres Salient Memorials to the Missing The names of the missing casualties of United Kingdom, Commonwealth and New Zealand forces who died in the Ypres Salient from the date of 16th August 1917 are named on the Memorial to the Missing at Tyne Cot. The names of the missing of New Zealand are inscribed on two other memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery. These memorials are listed with map locations at: Monuments and Memorials on the Ypres Salient Battles of the Ypres Salient Map of the Front Line as it stablized after the First Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914 to form what became known as “the Ypres Salient”. Find out about the major battles which took place near Ypres over the four years of the war.

Battles of the Ypres Salient Ypres - Ieper The city of Ypres (now known by its Flemish name of Ieper) offers all sorts of facilities and places of interest for visitors to the First World War battlfields, such as tourist information, museums, places to eat, places to stay, shops and sites of special interest relating to the 1914-1918 war. Go to: Ypres - Ieper Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is the agency responsible for the maintenance and care of the official memorials and military cemeteries for casualties of United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces. The CWGC has an online register of United Kingdom and Commonwealth Forces casualties who died in all conflicts from 1914-1918. The register is called the “Debt of Honour” and can be searched to find the location of a grave or memorial.

For more information about the CWGC and the information you can find about a casualty go to our page about the CWGC at: Review 'Menin Gate': Commonwealth War Memorial Commonwealth War Memorial Click an image to see more and larger images By SilverTraveller drewlin Travelled With Adult family Ypres or Leper, is a popular place for British visitors mainly due to the towns’ significance during the First World War. The centre of the town is attractive with the Cloth Hall which was restored after the war, as like the town itself, was reduced to rubble, dominating the main square. The hall now contains the “In Flanders Field Museum” which tells the story of the town and the three battles fought around it. The main square is a bustling centre, with bars where you can enjoy a meal and a beer, or perhaps a coffee and brandy. For those of you with a sweet tooth there are chocolates shops aplenty! If you stand in the square with your back to the Cloth Hall and follow the road that runs along the right of the square you will arrive at the Menin Gate Memorial (approx 400yds). Designed by one of the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission’s principal architects Sir Reginald Blomfeld.

Anyone who has visited a War Cemetery will recognise the Cross of Sacrifice with the sword on it, which he also designed. The memorial commemorates the death of 54398 soldiers killed in and around Ypres who have no known grave. The memorial comprises panels in Portland Stone listing all of the names of the missing between the start of the war in 1914 till August 1917. It does not therefore include those killed in the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as “Passchendaele”. The missing from this battle, 34948, are commemorated at the Tyne Cot Memorial located at Tyne Cot Cemetery. The sheer scale of loss for many visitors is overwhelming and it is difficult to comprehend. Many visitor’s to the Menin Gate come to watch the daily “Last Post Ceremony” held each evening at 8pm. The Local Fire Service provides buglers who play the “Last Post”. The sound from the bugles echoes from the roof of the memorial, enhancing the sound they make. In addition to the playing of “The Last Post” regular wreath laying services take place.

I had the honour of laying a wreath on 1 Oct 2007 on behalf of the “Faculty of Advocates”. In Scotland an Advocate is the equivalent to a Barrister and Lt Walter Scott Stuart Lyon, Royal Scots was before the war a member of the Faculty. As he was born on 1 Oct it was appropriate to lay the wreath on this date. In addition to being an Advocate, Lt Lyon was known as a “War Poet” and amongst his published works is a poem entitled “I tracked a dead man down a trench”, the second line “I knew not he was dead”. Lt Lyon was killed on 8 May 1915 at Potijze Wood. This line is particularly significant to me as I had Googled Sir Robert Lorimer, another War Graves Commission Architect, who is a distant forebear. He is noted particularly for designing the Thistle Chapel in St. Giles Cathedral and also The Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle. He also designed the Faculty of Advocates Memorial where amongst others Lt Lyon is commemorated.

By a quirk of fate, I discovered that two of his colleagues were omitted from the Rolls of Honour in the National Memorial and so a quest to find other “Missing” began to secure their inclusion in the Roll. With so many names it is impossible to relate to the individual stories behind each death. However, when I visit the memorial there are some names I look for. One is Sgt Harry Band, a Scot serving in the Canadian Army. During the war there were many tales of atrocities, whether they happened or not, is open to debate. One such story was that the Germans had crucified a Canadian soldier, whilst there is no definitive evidence to support this story; it is believed that Sgt Band was the soldier. As you study the panels, you will see the same surname repeated in many Regiments. It is not instantly possible to tell if any of them are related, however, throughout the war there were 325 pairs of brothers who were killed on the same day. Of these, 21 pairs are commemorated on the memorial. There are three brothers, Alfred, Frank and Frederick Racheil who all died on 24/5/15 serving with the Royal Fusiliers.

It must have been terrible for any mother to receive the news that her son had died. So for these mothers to receive the notification that two or in the case of Mrs Ann Racheil, from East Ham, three sons had died on the same day must have been particularly devastating. You might like to also spare a thought for Mrs Mary Pritchard, who not only lost her son Reginald aged 19 but also her husband William, both on 2/5/15, whilst serving with the Monmouth Regt. Another pair of brothers killed on the same day whilst serving with the Canadian Army were James and William Farquhar, killed on 3/6/16. Originally from Bower near Wick, their mother Elizabeth was to receive the news that not only these two sons died but their brothers George (NZ Rifles) and Alexander (Norfolk Regt) also died. The local paper reported that on hearing of the death of her fourth son in 1918 she was so overcome with grief and “swiftly sunk into the grave”. It is likely that you have a connection to someone commemorated on the memorial.

Either a relative, someone from your own town or, statistically, one of the 149 names sharing your birthday! If you have a relative who died in the Great War the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s web site list all the casualties from World War 1 onwards giving details of the location of their burial site, or memorial if like those on the Menin Gate they have no known grave. In addition to giving details of the casualty they have additional family information which is helpful if you are researching your family history. Although it is nearly 100 years since the last soldier commemorated on the memorial died the number of visitors each year who attend the service continues to go making the exhortation all the more appropriate. “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Years shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them!” Value for money Suitable for limited mobility or disabled guests Amenities Location This review is solely based on the opinion of a Silver Travel Advisor member and not of Silver Travel Advisor Ltd. Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres) - TripAdvisor Want the lowest hotel prices? You're in the right place.

We check 200+ sites for you. Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres) Is this an outdoor attraction or activity? Yes Does this attraction have good scenic or skyline views? Yes Does this attraction provide visitors with a taste of the local culture? Yes No Unsure Does this attraction require above average amounts of physical activity (long walks, climbs, stairs or hikes)? Yes Is this location a solemn or serious place like a memorial, cemetary, etc.? Yes Is this attraction a "must-see" location? Yes Is this attraction popular with tourists? Yes Would this be a good sunny day activity? Yes Would this be a good hot day activity? Yes Would this be a good cold day activity? Yes Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info. Reset zoom Address: Menenstraat, Ieper (Ypres) 8900, Belgium Website Recommended length of visit: <1 hour Description: Ypres (now Ieper) is a town in the Province of West Flanders. The Memorial... Ypres (now Ieper) is a town in the Province of West Flanders.

The Memorial is situated at the eastern side of the town on the road to Menin (Menen) and Courtrai (Kortrijk). The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. Each night at 8 pm the traffic is stopped at the Menin Gate while members of the local Fire Brigade sound the Last Post in the roadway under the Memorial's arches. read more CWGC War Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL | Craven's Part in The Great War CWGC War Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL 54344 Visiting Information Panel Numbers quoted at the end of each entry relate to the panels dedicated to the Regiment served with. In some instances where a casualty is recorded as attached to another Regiment, his name may alternatively appear within their Regimental Panels.

Please refer to the on-site Memorial Register Introduction to determine the alternative panel numbers if you do not find the name within the quoted Panels. The design of this site makes access to certain parts of the memorial impossible by wheelchair. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200. Local Information Ypres (now Ieper) is a town in the Province of West Flanders. The Memorial is situated at the eastern side of the town on the road to Menin (Menen) and Courtrai (Kortrijk). Each night at 8 pm the traffic is stopped at the Menin Gate while members of the local Fire Brigade sound the Last Post in the roadway under the Memorial's arches. Historical Information The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war.

The Salient was formed during the First Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British Expeditionary Force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele Ridge. The Second Battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the Allied lines north of Ypres. This was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an Allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence. There was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the Third Battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by Commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened French front further south. The initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines Ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. The campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele.

The German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the Allies in September. The battles of the Ypres Salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the Commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates those of all Commonwealth nations (except New Zealand) who died in the Salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 August 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery. The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known.

The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer in July 1927.The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war. The Salient was formed during the First Battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, when a small British Expeditionary Force succeeded in securing the town before the onset of winter, pushing the German forces back to the Passchendaele Ridge. The Second Battle of Ypres began in April 1915 when the Germans released poison gas into the Allied lines north of Ypres. This was the first time gas had been used by either side and the violence of the attack forced an Allied withdrawal and a shortening of the line of defence.

There was little more significant activity on this front until 1917, when in the Third Battle of Ypres an offensive was mounted by Commonwealth forces to divert German attention from a weakened French front further south. The initial attempt in June to dislodge the Germans from the Messines Ridge was a complete success, but the main assault north-eastward, which began at the end of July, quickly became a dogged struggle against determined opposition and the rapidly deteriorating weather. The campaign finally came to a close in November with the capture of Passchendaele. The German offensive of March 1918 met with some initial success, but was eventually checked and repulsed in a combined effort by the Allies in September. The battles of the Ypres Salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the Commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites. The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields.

It commemorates those of all Commonwealth nations (except New Zealand) who died in the Salient, in the case of United Kingdom casualties before 16 August 1917. Those United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. Other New Zealand casualties are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery. The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer in July 1927. Memorial Photo A must see memorial - Menin Gate Memorial, Ieper (Ypres) Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor Attraction details Recommended length of visit: <1 hour Owner description: Ypres (now Ieper) is a town in the Province of West Flanders.

The Memorial is situated at the eastern side of the town on the road to Menin (Menen) and Courtrai (Kortrijk). The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. Each night at 8 pm the traffic is stopped at the Menin Gate while members of the local Fire Brigade sound the Last Post in the roadway under the Memorial's arches. There are newer reviews for this attraction

Question: In which town would you find the World War I memorial, the Menin Gate?
Answer: YPRES